


All systems go, the sun hasn't died

by Smartinski



Series: The 100 [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:01:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24865714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smartinski/pseuds/Smartinski
Summary: Stiles wonders how she's doing it. Keeping it together even though she will be the first person in ninety-seven years to step foot on this planet.And she does it without flinching. One foot lands on the grass. Then the other.She takes a breath. A long breath. Stands with her back to the rest of them and looks up. Stiles knows she has her eyes closed.A girl steps forward. "How...how is it? What's it feel like?"Lydia takes another breath, and surprisingly, she turns to them with a small smile on her face."It feels like home."
Relationships: Lydia Martin/Stiles Stilinski
Series: The 100 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1799203
Kudos: 12





	1. PROLOGUE

_"Stiles."_

"Stiles!"

_"Stiles?"_

"Stiles."

_"Stiles, focus. You need to focus."_

"Stiles, wake up. You need to wake up!"

_"I promise you, Stiles. It's going to be okay. You're going to be fine, alright?"_

"Come on, Stiles. _Please_."

_"You get down there and survive. It's what we do. It's what you will do."_

"Can you hear me? Stiles?"

_"It's not fair but it's happening. It's happening."_

"Please, Stiles. _Please!_ "

_"This is a chance at a new life. A better life."_

"Come on, man. Don't leave me."

_"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."_

"Please don't leave me."

_"I love you, son."_

" _Stiles!_ "

_"Stiles, you need to wake up."_

He opens his eyes. Takes in a breath. Feels two hands on his shoulders.

"Stiles! Stiles, oh my god. Are you okay?"

His eyes focus. It's dark. It's cold. He's lying down. His head hurts.

"Stiles?"

His hearing returns next. Someone's screaming. Wait, _everyone's_ screaming. His back hurts.

"I need help! Someone help!"

His hand flies up and grabs someone's wrist.

It's Scott's wrist.

"Stiles?"

Scott. He's here. His head's bleeding.

"Scott."

Stiles watches pure relief drain through his best friend's face.

" _Jesus_ , Stiles! I thought you had brain damage or something! Can you sit up?"

It's apparent now that Scott is yelling, much like everyone else. Stiles allows his friend to help him sit up.

"What happened?"

Scott looks around. Stiles does too.

He sees people. Lots of people scared and crying and screaming and panicking. He sees bodies - three or more - crumpled on the ground. Not moving.

They're on the dropship. There are sparks shooting in all directions. Smoke lingering in the air. 

It all comes flooding back to Stiles.

"I..." Scott begins, clearing his throat. "I think we've landed."

Stiles blinks. Grabs the seat that he flung from to hoist himself up. He wobbles for a few moments as the dizziness passes before turning to Scott. "Are you okay?"

He nods, holding Stiles' arm for support. "We need to get out of here."

They stumble past the crowd of teenagers that are trying to do what Scott and Stiles are trying to do. Someone beat them to it.

A young boy hovers in front of the dropship door, one hand on the lever. His hand on the only thing that's keeping them from the outside world.

From the ground. From _Earth_.

"Don't open the door!" A girl screams from behind them. Stiles turns his head to see a brunette clinging to the ladder that leads to the next floor. "What if the air isn't safe?"

"What are we supposed to do, stay in here for the rest of our lives?" An older boy replies.

"Please, don't open the door."

"Open the door!"

"This is suicide!"

"Open the fucking door!"

"They've sent us down here to _die_ \- "

"Enough!" A deep voice bellows from the crowd. It brings complete silence.

Stiles puts a face to the voice when they step out and show themselves.

He's blonde, tall, tanned, muscular. His jaw is clenched, his eyes are dark, sunken - basically, he seems really pissed off.

The boy's footsteps echo and vibrate beneath them as he approaches the dropship door. "I don't care if you're all scared, and I really couldn't care less if we all die from radiation. We can't stay in here forever."

Nobody replies. Stiles dislikes him already.

Muscle-man turns to the boy holding the lever. "Open the door, dipshit. We don't have all day."

It takes the young boy a few moments to buckle up the courage before he pulls on the lever.

Scott grips Stiles' wrist. Stiles edges closer to Scott.

The creaking of the door heightens the fear but as much as Stiles hates douche-bag-muscle-man, he's right.

They can't stay in here forever. And they certainly can't go back.

So he clings to Scott's jacket and watches the door open from the top, the escaping pressure causing a wall of smoke. 

It's dark, and then it's light. No, it's _bright_. So fucking bright.

He and Scott shield their eyes with their hands, peaking through their fingers.

"Is that...the sun?" Scott whispers. Stiles can feel him shaking.

"I don't..." Stiles drifts off, his eyes trying to focus on something, _anything_.

But, then. It's bright, and then it's warm. It's so warm. Like his father's hugs.

It's fresh, he can smell it. _Air_.

It's warm and fresh and colourful. It's green and blue and brown and orange. It's so _green_.

Trees.

He sees trees. Plants, bushes, grass.

He hears calm.

Calm.

He feels a breeze. Wind.

It takes a moment to remember he's not on his own.

There are another ninety-nine kids just like him, feeling just like him. All around him.

And one of them has to be the first to step off.

Muscle-man turns to the crowd and smiles. "You wanna do the honour, Lyds?"

A girl steps forward. Stiles sees the back of her head. Strawberry-blonde hair. Lydia.

Lydia Martin. She's Stiles' age. They've had the same classes since third grade. Her mother's a teacher.

She stops beside the muscle-man without looking at him. She stares straight ahead. "What did I tell you about calling me 'Lyds'?"

Muscle-man rolls his eyes. She doesn't respond. Lydia walks.

Slowly, she treads lightly, feet coming into contact with the ramp.

Lydia doesn't seem scared. She doesn't seem excited, either.

Her moves are robotic. Her stance is poised.

Stiles wonders how she's doing it. Keeping it together even though she will be the first person in ninety-seven years to step foot on this planet.

And she does it without flinching. One foot lands on the grass. Then the other.

She takes a breath. A long breath. Stands with her back to the rest of them and looks up. Stiles knows she has her eyes closed.

A girl steps forward. "How...how is it? What's it feel like?"

Lydia takes another breath, and surprisingly, she turns to them with a small smile on her face.

"It feels like home."


	2. EXPERIENCE

"Scott?"

"Yeah."

"This isn't a dream, right?"

It's all in front of Stiles. Earth. He can feel the warmth of the sun on his face. He can feel the breeze brushing against his fingers. He can feel the ground - _solid_ ground - beneath him.

But is it real? Is this his wishful-thinking mind?

Scott has the audacity to laugh at him. "Ten fingers, bro. Ten fingers."

Stiles looks down and counts. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine...

Ten.

He looks up at Scott. He laughs.

They both laugh. They're giddy. Happy. Surrounded by happy people.

All one-hundred of them. Smiling, laughing, running, hugging, touching. It's absurdly amazing to watch.

Everyone's happy, all except for one.

Stiles watches Lydia sat on a rock at the edge of the mountain where they were dropped.

Silent, observing.

Scott follows Stiles' fixation and begins to walk towards Lydia. Stiles follows like he usually does.

"Lydia?" Scott calls out as they reach her. She doesn't look up. "What's wrong?"

"We have a problem." She replies.

The boys stare blankly. _Now_ she looks up.

"Are you both hard of hearing?"

Stiles blinks. "What's the problem?"

He looks down at her lap. She has a map.

"The chancellor said we'd be dropped on Mount Beacon." Lydia states, standing up.

"Okay...?" Scott raises an eyebrow.

She stares at them, hard. "Did any of you listen to his speech? During landing?"

"Kinda had other things on our minds, Lydia. Like the probability of _dying_ \- "

"Mount Beacon is indexed as a military base. It should be stocked with enough non-perishables to sustain three hundred people for up to two years." Lydia points to a section of the map. "On that mountain."

"So, what's the problem?" Stiles repeats.

Lydia lowers the map and points across the forest below to a mountain proudly standing tall ahead. " _That's_ Mount Beacon."

The realization hits in for both the boys.

Scott lets out a shaky breath. "They dropped us on the wrong mountain."

"We're looking at a twenty-mile trek. So if we want to get there before dark, we need to leave now." Lydia instructs Scott and Stiles before heading straight towards the forest ahead.

"Woah, woah, Lydia. You think the three of us are going to be able to carry supplies for one-hundred people?" Stiles calls after her.

She turns. "You're welcome to round up more troops."

Stiles watches her point to the others scattered around with a sarcastic smile on her face.

Sure, at first glance they look a little...useless. However, they're all criminals. And some of them are smart criminals.

"Give me five minutes." He mumbles in Lydia's direction before heading to the dropship. He steps up on the ramp and turns to the crowd of teenagers.

They're scattered around, most in separate groups, completely unaware of Stiles standing in front of them.

"Uh, excuse me."

No one responds. In their defence, no one can hear his small pathetic voice.

"Hey! Everyone!"

Still nothing. Stiles looks over at Lydia who has her arms folded and a bored look on her face. Scott's looking up at him with pity.

"Hey, buddy. A little help?" Stiles hisses at him.

His friend sighs before picking up a discarded piece of metal that's fallen off the dropship.

Scott stands next to Stiles, lifts the metal then brings it down onto the ramp with a slam.

It rings out an intense, deep sound that echoes through the forest.

Everyone looks at them both.

Well, _that_ worked.

"Everybody listen." Scott calls out. "We landed on the wrong mountain. What we need to survive is in a military base in the mountain over there."

He points and eyes follow. Stiles sees the initial excitement of being on the ground drain from most of the faces in front of him.

"It's a trek that we need to do and we need volunteers."

"Are we certain that's where Mount Weather is?" A boy asks.

"Oh, so _one_ of you were listening." Lydia mumbles from the back.

"It's on the map that they gave us." Stiles ignores her.

"So, we're just gonna trust that map and do what they tell us to do?" Muscle-man yells. Some people agree with him. Fucking _great_.

"You have a better plan?" A girl turns to him with a scowl. Allison Argent.

"Who put these two numb-nuts in charge?" Muscle-man points at Stiles and Scott.

"Oh my _god_ , Jackson. Will you shut up and listen?" Lydia speaks up.

Everyone turns to her. 

"Who cares who's in charge? Whether or not the chancellor gave us these instructions, it's the right thing to do."

The crowd remains silent.

Lydia cranes her head and stares at Jackson. "Do you know how to forage? _What_ to forage?"

"No, but I have a feeling you're going to tell us." Jackson mutters.

Stiles still prefers Muscle-man, but whatever.

"You." Lydia points at a girl. "Do you know how to start a fire?"

The girl doesn't answer.

"How about you? Do you know anything about farming?" Lydia turns to the boy who opened the dropship door.

Nothing.

"Who knows how to create a shelter?" She yells. "No one?"

Scott raises an eyebrow at Stiles and smiles. She's good.

"So, Jackson. I'll repeat what Allison just asked you." Lydia moves forward with her arms folded. "Do you have a better plan?"

Jackson - for the first time since they landed - stays silent.

"Wonderful." Lydia blinks before looking up at Stiles. "Two minutes."

"Okay, any volunteers?" Scott calls out.

Allison heads towards Lydia. And a tall, pale boy comes to stand by him and Scott.

That's it.

Great.

They're not just surrounded by a bunch of fucking idiots, they're surrounded by a _lazy_ bunch of fucking idiots.

\- - - 

"Has anyone not gotten used to the solid ground under their feet or is it just me?" Scott breaks the silence that's lasted twenty minutes so far.

Stiles isn't sure whether he was enjoying it or not.

"It'll take time." Allison turns for a moment to reassure Scott before continuing to walk. "The artificial gravity that's being used on the Nemeton is a lot different to gravity on Earth."

Lydia looks at the girl. "I'm glad someone else was paying attention in my mother's classes."

"She's a very good teacher. However, I have a couple of complaints."

Lydia laughs humourlessly. "Me, too. A handful of lessons on how to survive on this alien planet would have been helpful."

"You read my mind." Allison smiles.

"Those lessons wouldn't be for your benefit, clearly." The brown-haired boy speaks up from the back. Stiles nearly forgot he was there.

"Oh, most certainly not." Lydia snorts. "But it's quite obvious the rest of you would have benefitted."

Stiles rolls his eyes - he almost misses Lydia mouth ' _not you_ ' to Allison.

"You know, I've got to ask..." The boy begins from behind Stiles. "How the hell did all of you end up detained?"

Lydia turns around. "Have we asked you _your_ story?"

The boy laughs, exhaling through his nose. "You haven't even asked me my name."

Stiles frowns at him. "Do you know _our_ names?"

"How could I _not_ know your names? You're all the council's offspring."

Stiles flinches. He knew this would happen at some point.

It's silent for a moment.

"Fine. I'll tell mine first." The boy sighs. "Actually, my name will be enough - which is Isaac, by the way. Thanks for asking."

All four of them stop walking.

_Isaac._

They all look at him, remembering the story.

He laughs again, continuing with the walk. "Even without _that_ reaction, I knew you guys would know. Like I said before, you're the council's offspring."

The four teenagers watch him walk ahead in disbelief.

Scott speaks up first, pointing to Isaac. "Isaac, as in..."

"As in the kid they hid under the floor?" Stiles whispers. "Yeah. That's the one."

"Whispering doesn't make a difference, guys." Isaac yells out.

"Wait, they locked you _up_ for that?" Allison follows him.

Isaac stops this time. "'They'? As in, your parents? Yes, they did."

Allison shakes her head. "My father would never."

"Well, your father _did_. I remember his face. I remember _all_ their faces." He walks off.

Allison goes to speak but decides not to.

Stiles could defend their parents. Well, at least his father and Scott's mother.

The Nemeton has laws. Rules and regulations that have been put in place for years. Ninety-seven, to be exact.

So Stiles _could_ defend them. But that would make him a hypocrite, wouldn't it? Defending the very people that were happy to withhold information -

"Oh my god, _water_."

Allison's shock snaps Stiles back to reality.

When he looks up, he sees it.

Blue. Crystal. _Fresh_.

His legs are moving before Stiles instructs his brain to do so.

"I'm so thirsty." Scott exhales happily as they make it to the edge.

"Hate to rain on your parade, but you can't drink it. Or get in it." Lydia states.

They all turn to her with annoyance and confusion.

She returns that look with an 'are you kidding me' expression. "You have _no_ idea if the water's contaminated. Plus, this river isn't on the map - god, is there _any_ common sense between the four of you? I know we had zero preparation, but... _wow_. I'm shocked."

"Okay, smart-ass." Allison raises an eyebrow. "How about you tell us where we _can_ find non-contaminated water, huh?"

"To do that would involve testing. And we have no equipment for that. So I will reiterate; Mount Beacon is all we've got right now. And we're wasting time standing here staring at each other." Lydia says with a deadpan expression. "So, let's go."

She begins to walk along the side of the river, evidently not waiting behind for them.

Stiles sighs, glances at Allison and gestures to the strawberry-blonde. "After you."

Isaac keeps his eye on Stiles' wrist and then on his own. He holds his arm up and shakes it. "What's with the bands?"

They start walking, Scott in front. "My mom made them. All I know is, they monitor our vitals."

Isaac tuts. "We're even being tracked down here."

"It's so they can know if we survived, asshole." Stiles snaps. "Don't you find it relieving that your loved ones can see you made it?"

Stiles feels a hand grab the collar of his shirt. "I _have_ no loved ones up there. _Your_ father floated _my_ mother because _I_ was alive."

"My father isn't the fucking chancellor. Deaton is. Our parents were just following orders." Stiles grits his teeth, yanking Isaac's hand away.

"Exactly." Isaac gets closer. "They followed the orders through. They're part of the problem."

"Alright, enough." Scott intervenes, pulling Isaac back. "We're not on the Nemeton anymore. We're down here, on our own. It makes no sense turning on each other when in fact, we _need_ each other to survive."

Isaac's glare to Stiles doesn't falter, but he does step back. "I don't need any of you to survive. I've done it on my own for eighteen years."

He steps backwards, eyes still on the boys before turning...and jumping into the river.

"What the hell - " Scott gasps.

"Isaac!" Allison yells from the front.

Stiles and Scott rush to the side of the river, leaning over as Isaac breaks through the surface.

"Idiot, we don't know how to swim!" Stiles hisses.

Isaac flips his wet hair back with a grin. "It's lucky the water's shallow, isn't it?"

Scott's breathing heavily next to Stiles, glancing up and down the river.

Lydia appears next to Stiles. "How do you feel, Isaac?"

Isaac's washing his face and shoulders. "Well, I'm not burning alive. Is that the answer you were looking for?"

Lydia sighs, glancing at Allison.

Stiles does, too. She's got a wicked grin on her face. And before he knows it, she's pulling her top over her head.

"Allison." Scott stands up straight.

"Oh, come on." Allison chuckles, pulling off her trousers. "At what point do we stop being frightened of every little thing on this planet and start enjoying it for what it is?"

"That's the spirit, Argent." Isaac yells, throwing his soaked clothes at Stiles.

 _God_ , Stiles hates him.

Allison's in the water within three seconds, causing the water to splash against Stiles' skin.

It does feel really good.

"Ah, screw it." He starts kicking off his boots.

" _Stiles_." Scott places a hand on his arm.

His boots are off and next is his shirt. "Allison's right. We've got to start enjoying this place. You only live once, right?"

He wriggles out of his trousers - not as elegantly as he hoped he would - and winks at Scott.

Then he jumps.

The cold water swallows him up, but it's not scary.

No, it's nothing but scary.

When Stiles opens his eyes, it's blurry and blue and...

For the first time in eighteen years, he feels alive.

He kicks the river bed and floats up, his head breaking through.

Stiles takes in a deep breath, letting the sun warm his cold skin. "Oh my god."

"Nothing like the showers on the Nemeton, right?" Allison laughs, washing her skin.

"You got that right." Stiles laughs in shock. He looks up at Scott and Lydia standing on the edge.

They've got the same look on both of their faces; the only difference is, Scott has his clothes off.

"Hell yeah, Scotty. Come on in." Stiles cheers.

Scott jumps in just next to him and comes up not even two seconds later.

"Holy shit! It's cold!"

Allison laughs. "Good cold or bad cold?"

"Good cold." Scott nods, moving his hair back from his face.

"Your turn, Martin." Isaac yells up at the strawberry-blonde who's looking at them all as if they've lost their minds.

"We don't have time for this." Lydia shakes her head.

"That's true, but now we can get across to the other side." Allison smiles up at her. "So, in a way, we've just saved us a whole lot of time."

This gets Lydia. Stiles smirks as she scowls at Allison. She has no argument.

"For god..." She mumbles to herself. One look at the sky and an exhale, she pulls her top over her head.

The four of them cheer as she undresses. Allison wolf-whistles.

"You should all count yourselves lucky. I've never given in to peer pressure." Lydia calls out before jumping in.

And when she comes up, the attitude has washed away in the water.

Stiles grins at her. "Well?"

Her eyes are wide as she pulls her hair back, beads of water balancing on her lashes. "Oh...my god."

They all laugh. 

"Peer pressure isn't all that bad." Isaac actually smiles.

Stiles still hates him.

"Has anyone tried drinking?" Lydia turns to them all.

"I accidentally swallowed a mouthful when I jumped in." Scott admits. _Typical_.

Lydia's shoulders relax. She cups her hands in the water and takes one huge gulp.

"Jesus, Lydia."

"Have we broken her?"

Lydia exhales, closing her eyes. " _Fuck._ That's so good."

Scott lets out a shocked laugh before slurping up some water himself.

Stiles drops his head in and drinks.

He feels it run down his throat to his stomach, cooling him inside out.

Bringing his head up, he wipes his mouth. "I know we've been here all of five minutes, but I fucking love this place."

Lydia smiles to herself, Stiles catches it.

She knows he caught it because she catches his eye then stands straight. "Okay guys, that's enough playtime. Let's get going."

"Oh, boo." Isaac moans, his body floating on the water's surface.

"She's right." Allison stands. "We're going to start getting very hungry soon."

"Lydia, chuck me the bag. I'll take it over." Scott calls to her as she climbs out.

"You just want to be the first to stand on the other side." Allison smirks.

"Hell yeah, I do." Scott laughs as Lydia throws the bag. He wades through the water with the bag over his head, throws it on the edge and climbs up.

Stiles leans over the edge to grab his clothes. When he turns around, Scott's crouching over, peering at something between the trees.

"You found something, Scott?"

"Look!" Scott yells out, picking up a flat object and holding it up for them to see.

An old rusty piece of metal. Which has 'Mount Beacon' written across it.

Allison cheers. "We made it."

Eventually, all of them are cheering - Lydia's standing at the edge with her arms folded and a smirk on her face - and Scott's holding the sign up above his head.

It's such a serene moment - a _sweet_ moment. A sense of independence and freedom and making friends (Stiles thinks).

So when an arrow flies past Lydia, across the river and into Scott's chest, it's takes a few moments for Stiles to register the changing of atmosphere.

It's a few more seconds of staring at Scott pinned to a tree with a blank expression until it becomes real.

 _Very_ real.

"Scott." He gasps. " _Scott_ \- "

"Get down! Get down." He hears Allison yell, but he doesn't listen.

He just stands in the water, staring at Scott, his best friend, his brother. Who's not moving.

He's not moving and his eyes are open. He's not blinking.

 _Scott_.

Adrenaline kicks in all of a sudden, because Stiles is wading through the water heading straight towards Scott but then two arms are dragging him backwards.

"Get off of me, get the _fuck_ off of me - "

"Hide, you fucking idiot." Isaac hisses, pushing him underneath a rock that's hanging over the edge of the river.

He feels Lydia and Allison's presence next to him, but he hasn't looked away from Scott. Not moving, wide-eyed Scott.

"We need to help him! We need to - "

A hand slams over his mouth and more hands are pushing him down.

"Be quiet before you get us _all_ killed." Lydia appears in his line of sight, her eyes round and serious.

Anger fills Stiles.

That's his fucking _brother_.

Lydia holds a finger to her lips, her eyes not leaving his, and eventually, some sort of sorrow and guilt becomes apparent on her face.

Stiles doesn't know how much time passes, but Isaac's hands release Stiles slowly and his body disappears from the water.

"I can't see anyone." He whispers.

Lydia nods, slowly taking her hand away from Stiles' mouth.

Allison breathes heavily next to them, staring up at the spot where Scott is.

Where Scott _was_.

Stiles stares hard. The only thing left behind is the spot of blood on the tree. "H-he's gone."

His legs give way and he nearly goes under the water but Allison has a grip on him.

Lydia steps forward, her body in shock before she turns to them.

"We're...we're not alone down here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finger's crossed Bellarke will be legit by the time I finish this fic lol :)


	3. SKILLS

"I'm not going back without him."

That's all Stiles can say. That's all he _will_ say.

The others can argue between the three of them about what to do and how to go about it and if they need help or if Scott is even _worth_ saving but Stiles?

Stiles has already made his mind up.

Scott is worth saving. Every single damn time.

He gets up from the rock he's been perched on and heads back towards the river.

"Stiles, wait!"

"You guys can waste time here arguing, I'm going to get Scott."

"And we agree." Allison yells after him.

Stiles slows down but doesn't stop.

"I don't."

"Shut up, Isaac." Allison hisses.

"Stiles, we don't know what we're dealing with. We need help, reinforcements." Lydia says assertively.

"We don't have time. He could be..." Stiles stops this time. He can't say it. He can't think it.

"Lydia, you can't stop him." Allison speaks quietly. "He won't change his mind."

Stiles takes a deep breath, clears his head and continues to walk.

But then, in the distance, a scream echoes out.

Stiles freezes. _Scott_. "He's alive!"

"How the _hell_ \- "

"Go with him." Lydia instructs Allison. "We'll go back and get help."

There's silence for a moment, then footsteps, then Allison.

"You don't have to come with me." Stiles states.

"Yes, I do." Allison replies, her face straight. "We need to be sneaky, though. We can't be out in the open."

Stiles nods and when he sees the river ahead, he turns right. "There's got to be another way over."

"I can't get my head around it." Allison shakes her head. "There are others here, survivors."

"Yeah, survivors that can shoot a spear with pinpoint accuracy from three-hundred feet." Stiles breathes. "This is bad."

He's full of desperation. Scott's alive, but he's in pain. And he could be dying.

No many people can survive a spear to the heart.

"The river's not as wide up there." Allison points through the trees. "It looks like it dies out."

Stiles' mind is spinning. "How the hell have people survived down here?"

"I don't know." Allison answers immediately. "But they have. Which means radiation won't kill us."

Stiles lifts an eyebrow. "Silver lining."

Allison is right - the river is becoming more shallow and the ground is getting steeper.

They get closer to the river - still behind the trees - and see it's end, small waterfalls trickle down the side of the mountain.

"That's our opening."

"Remember, Stiles. Stealthily."

They make it to the end and start climbing up the mountain. A lot of shuffling, near-slips and grazed palms, they manage to crawl over and across the waterfalls, through the shrubbery and to the other side.

"All good?" Stiles turns to Allison just as another scream resonates around them.

"That way." Allison points and they begin to run.

They run through the forest, through trees and spider-webs until they reach a thick row of bushes as high as them.

When Stiles steps closer, he hears a moan on the other side.

The blood rushes from his body. "He's in there."

Allison's through to the other side before Stiles, and when he makes it through and looks up, bile rises to the back of his throat.

"Oh my god." Allison gasps. "Scott."

He's strung up on a tree stump, covered in blood and his injured chest bare.

"Jesus - Scott? Scott, can you hear me?" Stiles rushes towards him.

One second there's ground beneath him, the next second he's stepped on air and he's falling.

"Stiles!"

He falls down with a crack to his head. " _Shit_."

"Stiles?"

He opens his eyes to darkness and his head dizzy. "Yep. Yep. All good."

"I told you to be stealthy!" Allison hisses worriedly.

"Check on Scott. I'm fine." Stiles looks up to see Allison's head peering down at him.

He's in a trap.

When Allison disappears, Stiles pulls himself up, studying the hole he fell into.

It's clearly man-made. Pieces of broken bamboo (thanks to Stiles) and palm leaves are scattered around his feet. The walls are made with mud.

He feels as if he's gone back in time.

Stiles looks up to the sky. "Is he okay?"

"He's breathing, but not responsive."

"Can you cut him down?"

"He's too heavy, Stiles. It'll do more damage." Allison sighs.

Stiles exhales. He needs to get out.

"There's something covering the arrow wound. I think it's a poultice."

"What?" He's so confused. "Why would they attack him then save his life all to just string him up?"

"Live bait, maybe?" Allison calls out.

"That's made me feel better." Stiles cheers sarcastically. "Alright, you think you can help me out?"

Allison's there in a flash, reaching her arms down towards him.

Stiles stretches up as high as he can go and grabs hold of one hand.

Allison lifts him as high as she can until Stiles can grab hold of the top and pull himself up. He lets go of Allison and she falls back with exhaustion.

Stiles catches his breath and glances at her. "You're stronger than you look."

"Yeah? You're heavier than you look." She inhales.

Stiles laughs and it nearly covers the sound of a growl.

They both freeze where they're slumped, eyes locked onto each other.

"That wasn't Scott." Stiles whispers, frozen.

"No, it wasn't." Allison speaks quickly.

They're both too frightened to move. Stiles can see Allison shivering. But she's brave enough to turn her head to the left.

Stiles doesn't have to look himself to know that it's bad. Allison's wide eyes are enough evidence.

"Do we need to run?" Stiles whimpers, gripping hold of the grass under his hands.

"Yes, we do." Allison shakes.

"The tree Scott's on. Climb it." Stiles instructs.

Allison looks at him, looks at the growling monster then looks at the tree. "Now!"

They both jump up and run towards Scott. Stiles makes the mistake of looking at their predator and regrets it immediately.

"Oh my god!"

"Climb!" Allison screams, launching herself up the tree and grabbing hold of the first branch she can.

Stiles follows, scrambling his way up.

Allison finds a stable position then grabs Stiles' hand, heaving him up.

He just about gets his left leg up before the monster sinks its teeth in.

"Jesus - what the hell is that?!" Stiles clings to Allison and the tree.

"It looks like a panther." Allison heaves, catching her breath.

"That's a fucking big panther." Stiles cries. "I take back what I said earlier. I hate this place."

Allison whimpers, squeezing his hand.

"Can panthers climb?"

"They're big cats. Of course they can climb!"

Stiles looks to his left at Scott. He stretches his hand out and checks his pulse - it's weak, but it's there.

"Come on, Scott. Wake up! You're missing all this excitement - "

"What's it doing?" Allison nudges him. She brings her legs up closer to her body.

Stiles glares at the panther. It's walking away.

"What the hell."

"It's leaving?" Allison frowns.

"Apparently we're not good enough for dinner." Stiles shakes.

The animal makes it to the line of bushes, then stops.

It turns around and stares at them.

"You _had_ to make a fucking joke." Allison sobs.

Stiles sees a tear fall onto her knee.

Shit, _he's_ crying, too.

Earth _sucks_.

"Allison."

"What?!"

Stiles watches the animal's rear paws drag along the ground.

Oh _god_.

"It's gonna make a jump for it."

Allison nearly starts hyperventilating. She turns to Stiles. "Nemeton isn't so bad, is it?"

Stiles finds it in him to laugh through the fear taking over his body.

He clings to Allison more than before. "It was nice knowing you, Allison."

She nods and rests her forehead on his. "Nice knowing you, Stiles."

She squeezes her eyes shut, turning both hers and Stiles' knuckles white.

Stiles can't close his eyes. He looks. He has to look.

The panther is still staring at him. Straight through him, like a piece of meat.

It growls, low and rough, bends its back legs, and pounces.

Stiles closes his eyes.

Allison screams.

A gunshot rings through the air.

Silence.

"Stiles! Allison!"

They both open their eyes at the same time. Shocked to see each other... _alive_.

Stiles looks down.

The panther's dead.

Lydia's at the bottom of the tree, wide-eyed.

Behind her are Jackson who's lowering a gun and a tall, muscular boy.

"Lydia." Stiles shakes.

"Untie him." Lydia instructs the boys, pointing to Scott before looking back up. "Are you both okay?"

"Define 'okay' - " Allison says with chattering teeth.

"Come on." Stiles begins to climb down, holding Allison's hand.

His feet hit solid ground and he helps her down.

They share a look for a moment - something Stiles can only describe as 'we were meant to die, we said our good-byes and now we're embarrassingly shaking from head to toe and could cry at any given second'.

Scott's body drops and the tall boy drapes him over his shoulder.

"Boyd, lay him on the parachute." Lydia states while checking over Allison and Stiles. "You're both extremely lucky."

"What the hell _is_ that thing?" Boyd asks after laying Scott down.

They all follow his train of sight to the still animal.

" _That_ , my friend..." Jackson pats Boyd on the back. "Is food."

Stiles blinks, takes everything in before heading over to Scott. The gun doesn't go a miss. "Where'd you get the weapon?"

Jackson stares down at him with an 'it's not of your business' expression before Lydia answers for him. "Long story. We need to go."

Stiles dismisses it - there are bigger things to be worrying about. He wipes Scott's hair from his face and checks his pulse once more. "You got this, Scott. Stay alive."

After Jackson wraps up the dead panther and places it on the parachute with Scott, he and Boyd begin to carry it back.

Stiles won't admit it, but Lydia was right about reinforcements.

It's as if she read his mind.

"Hate to tell you I told you so." Lydia whispers as she passes him.

She gets an eye roll from Stiles.

"I see Isaac opted out?" He calls after her. "Can't say I'm surprised."

"I told him to stay." Lydia stops and glares at him. "Communications are off on the dropship. We need someone to get them back on."

"We also need a doctor." Allison adds, worry dripping off of her tone as she walks next to Stiles.

"And that." Lydia pulls in her lips. "Any recommendations?"

Stiles doesn't want to walk anymore. He wants to sit and give up. Today has been one disaster after another.

He clears his throat. "The only person who can save Scott...is _Scott_."

\- - - 

Jackson makes their entrance apparent by throwing the panther onto the ground with a thud. "Ladies and gentlemen, dinner is served!"

The criminals all hush and stare at the arrivals. Then they cheer.

Stiles glares at the back of Jackson's head before helping Boyd carry Scott to the dropship. "How are you going to cook it without fire, dumbass?"

He's waiting for a fist to connect with his skull as he passes, but Jackson refrains. "You're welcome by the way."

They rush up the ramp and into the dropship, lowering Scott to the floor.

"They've been busy while we were gone." Allison notes, studying the make-shift curtains over the dropship entrance.

"Doesn't look half bad." Isaac's voice rings out as he appears from the second floor.

"Any luck?" Lydia looks up.

Isaac shakes his head.

Lydia curses under her breath. "Doesn't matter. You can help us."

"Jesus..." Isaac mutters as he takes in the state of Scott.

"You said that Scott's the only one to save himself, right?" Lydia looks up at Stiles as they push the parachute away from Scott's body.

Stiles nods. "His mom taught him everything she knows."

Lydia takes in the information, stays silent for a moment before looking down. "I have a really bad idea. And you're not going to like it."

"I'm sold." Stiles replies sarcastically.

She sits up straight, blows out a puff of air and slaps her hands on her knees. "We need to wake him up so he can talk us through it."

Stiles blinks. Registers what she's said. Blinks again. " _What?_ "

"Lydia, that's insane." Allison laughs in disbelief.

"Can you offer something better?"

"No, but - "

"Isaac, did you find the medkits?" 

He nods again. "There's a couple doses of anaesthesia we can use."

"Great. Grab some bandages as well - and there should be cleaning solution."

Stiles looks up at Lydia. "Are you sure about this?"

She shakes her head. "No."

"How do we wake him up?" Allison kneels down at Scott's feet.

Isaac appears with the medkits, handing Lydia the cleaning solution and bandages.

She says nothing, soaking a piece of bandage in the solution. She removes the poultice from Scott's wound and replaces it with the bandage.

"Like this."

Scott's eyes pop open and he flies up. A scream rips from his throat that makes the metal beneath them echo.

Stiles' heart plummets. "What the - _Lydia!_ "

"Scott, breathe! Breathe." Lydia yells with a hand on his shoulder.

His body falls back down as he screams in pain.

"I'm sorry I hurt you but we need you to talk us through how to save you. You were shot with an arrow very close to your heart and I don't know what or if it's hit anything and I think the wound's infected."

Everyone glares at her - including Scott. 

When he drags his head to face Stiles, he looks like he's going to throw up.

"Scott buddy, she's right. What do we do? Tell us what to do. _Please_." Stiles grips onto Scott's shoulder, desperation heavy in his plea.

"They cauterized the wound and saved your life, but I think it's infected." Lydia explains.

Scott blinks dizzily. "Who?"

Allison licks her lips. "Grounders. Survivors."

"Pissed off survivors." Isaac says from the back.

Scott groans, winces before craning his neck to study his chest.

It's oozing. Stiles has to look away.

"You need to cut away the infected skin." Scott slurs.

Stiles snaps his head back. "What?"

"We have anaesthesia." Lydia reassures him.

"How much?" Scott asks. 

"A few bottles." Isaac answers.

"No. Not enough for all of us." Scott shakes his head before letting it hit the ground.

Stiles can't believe what he's hearing. "Scott, are you fucking insane?"

"There's ninety-seven of us here. Life-threatening injury on the first day." Scott mumbles. "You do the math."

Stiles shakes his head and opens his mouth - but nothing comes out. This is surreal.

"You got something sharp in that box of yours?" Scott peers behind him at Isaac.

Isaac pulls out a pair of scissors.

"I can't watch this. I'm gonna pass out." Stiles stands up quickly.

"No." Allison snaps. "Sit down and hold his hand."

Stiles bends over and covers his face with his hands. Takes a deep breath. Sits back down.

"He's about to undergo surgery - _awake_ \- with no pain relief and _you're_ freaking out over a bit of _blood?_ " Isaac scowls.

"Shut up, Isaac." Allison snaps again. "We need to concentrate."

"Okay, we remove the infected skin, then what?" Lydia asks.

Scott thinks for a moment - Stiles isn't sure whether he passed out for two seconds - before lifting his head again. "Let me see that poultice."

Allison picks it up and shows it to him.

"What's that red stuff?"

"No idea."

"It kept me alive, right? It's got to have antibiotic properties to it." Scott explains with a wince.

"Wait. I've seen that stuff." Isaac mumbles. "It was in the river."

They all look at him.

Stiles has had quite enough. "Are you fucking kidding me? The _river?_ We've got to go back down to the _river?!_ "

"Calm down, Stiles." Lydia orders. "Allison, Isaac. Go get as much of this as possible."

Allison nods and they're gone, the shitty curtain blowing behind them.

"Why is this so difficult?" Stiles exhales, closing his eyes.

"Stiles." Scott mumbles.

Stiles peaks down at him.

"Life would be no fun if it was easy, right?" His best friend smirks weakly.

Lydia lets a smile slip out.

Stiles shakes his head. "You're not wrong. But right now, for your sake, I want easy."

Just as the word rolls off of his tongue, several screams resonate from outside.

The three of them look at the dropship door.

"What the hell." Stiles mumbles.

"Get inside!" They hear someone yell. Stiles stands up.

Before he knows it, everyone's running into the dropship.

"Woah, woah - what's going on?"

"Jackson, what happened?" Lydia yells as she sees him run through.

"I don't know - a red fog came over then our skin started burning!"

Stiles' eyes widen. "I - close the door! Close the door!"

"Allison and Isaac are still out there!" Lydia panics.

"We don't have a choice, Lydia." Jackson bellows. "Close the fucking door!"

The sunlight slowly disappears as the ramp rolls up.

Everyone's coughing and some are crying. Some are covered in boils.

"Acid fog." Lydia mumbles.

Stiles spins around. " _Really?_ "

She's got her head in her hands, frustration evident.

Stiles looks down at Scott. "You craving 'easy' yet?"

Scott doesn't answer.

"Right! Right. Let's focus on one thing." Lydia snaps, grabbing the scissors. She cleans them with some solution and readjusts her seated position.

Stiles falls back down beside Scott and holds his hand. "You sure about this, Scott?"

"Haven't really got another choice." Scott chuckles, his head lolling.

"Jackson, grab that jacket." Stiles points to the item of clothing slung over a chair.

Jackson's instinct nearly comes out - telling Stiles to 'piss off' - but he senses the urgency and chucks Stiles the jacket.

Stiles places it under Scott's head. "No time for sleep, buddy."

"I'm counting on that."

"It's really crowded in here." Lydia begins to stress. "Jackson, could you get everyone upstairs?"

Stiles hears him huff.

"I'm getting fed up of being told what to do. Feel like I'm back on the Nemeton."

"Jackson." Lydia growls. " _Please_."

He stares at her, hard, for a good moment before nodding reluctantly. His glare roams around the room - and without a word being spoken, everyone makes their way to the ladder.

Stiles has so many questions, but he'll wait until the room's empty.

Instead, he watches Scott carefully, watches the door fearfully and watches Lydia intently.

"Okay, Scott. Are you ready?" Lydia softens her voice.

Scott immediately looks at Stiles. "Talk. A lot."

"Pleasure." Stiles nods nervously as Lydia begins to snip away at the infected skin.

Scott flinches beneath them.

"Keep him still."

"So, Scott. You wanna hear the short story or the long story?" Stiles smiles, keeping his fear as hidden as he can.

"Long story."

Stiles ignores the pain radiating through his whole hand while Scott squeezes it.

"So, you remember up until the Mount Beacon sign, right?"

"Y-yeah." Scott strains.

Lydia continues without a sound.

"So, you get pinned to a tree with an _arrow_...I start freaking _out_ \- "

"Like a baby." Lydia murmurs.

Scott laughs.

"Don't laugh."

"Sorry."

"I wasn't being a baby. I thought you were a goner, Scott." Stiles clears his throat. "So we hide, then you disappear - "

"They took me?"

"Yeah. Me and Allison searched for you while Lydia and Isaac got help. We found you in the forest on the other side of the river, hoisted up onto _another_ tree - "

"They're a fan of trees."

Lydia smiles.

"Correct. So, I run to you like an idiot and fall into a trap door. Hit my head - got a cool lump, I'll show you later - and Allison gets me out."

"Like the badass she is." Scott smiles.

"Calm down, buddy." Stiles scoffs. "It gets crazier."

"I'll never forget the look on your faces when we showed up." Lydia grins, her eyes focusing on the wound.

"Hey. I have never felt fear like that in my entire _life_. That panther was about to eat us alive."

"A _panther?_ " Scott raises his eyebrows with all his strength.

"A fucking _panther_. You were K.O. throughout all of this, may I add."

"On a tree."

"On a tree. Me and Allison climb the tree and say our goodbyes and as the panther pounces, Jackson shoots it."

"Shoots it? With a gun?"

"While we're on that." Stiles holds up a finger. "Where did he get it?"

Lydia stays quiet for a minute. Pulls in her lips. "He...impersonated a guard to get to the ground."

"Woah." Scott slurs.

"Why?"

"To protect me." Lydia answers quietly. "My mother begged him to keep me safe, but...he would have done it anyway."

Stiles shuts up. Guilt immediately smacking him in the face.

Lydia sighs. "Underneath all the...the - "

"Villain-ness?"

She smiles. "Yes. Underneath all that is a decent person. A really decent person."

Stiles nods, even smiles. "I'll take your word for it."

"Please do. Give him time."

Scott coughs, squeezing Stiles' hand. "I think we all need to give each other time. And learn to trust one another."

This hits Lydia as well as Stiles. 

She stops cutting for a moment before continuing with a smirk. "What, cutting your flesh while you're conscious doesn't make me trustworthy enough for you?"

Stiles laughs. Scott does, too.

"What did I say - ?"

"Sorry." Scott mumbles. "Hey. I haven't thanked you both, yet. For saving me."

"Don't mention it, Scotty. Always." Stiles tilts his head.

A comfortable silence settles around them and as bizarre as the situation is, Stiles likes it.

He likes what they've created here. A unique little bond.

But the reality is big enough to interrupt that. Stiles knows this. "Shall I see if the fog's cleared?"

"I think I saw a small window in the door. Don't open it yet." Lydia replies.

Stiles makes his way to the door and pushes the curtain aside, wiping the window.

It looks pretty clear.

"Well, there's no red anywhere." He calls out just as he sees two figures running towards the dropship. "Oh, _shit._ "

"What?"

"It's Allison and Isaac." Stiles ignores his instructions and pulls on the lever, allowing the door to go down.

It lands on the ground with a thud and a cloud of dust before Stiles steps out.

Allison and Isaac are in front of him in a second. 

"Are you both okay?"

"Barely." Isaac exhales. "We found an automobile and hid in it."

"We got a lot of red seaweed and water, too." Allison adds as she runs through the curtain.

"Smart thinking." Lydia calls out. "I'm glad you're both okay."

Stiles closes the door after Isaac and heads back in.

"We also found alcohol." Isaac smirks, lifting the bottle up.

Scott cheers. "I'll take the first shot."

"How are you feeling?" Allison drops down next to him.

"All things considered," He gestures to Lydia cutting his skin. "Pretty great."

"I've nearly finished, Scott."

"Okay. You're gonna need to mix the seaweed with water - preferably hot. Did they get a fire started?"

"No chance." Isaac tuts.

Scott nods. "Lydia, I hate to say it, but you'll need to clean the wound after you've finished cutting."

Lydia grimaces for him. "Okay. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's okay. I can take it."

Stiles begins mixing the water and the seaweed. "How much of this am I putting in?"

"Just make it look like that." Lydia passes him the poultice. "Scott, I'm done. Are you ready?"

"As ever."

Allison squeezes his hand, and while Lydia soaks another piece of bandage, she turns Scott's head to her. "I didn't get to tell you how awesome you looked when you got to the other side of the river."

Scott smiles giddily. "Yeah?"

Allison nods as Lydia places the bandage on Scott's wound.

He shrieks in pain, causing the hairs on the back of Stiles' neck to stand up.

"You're a very brave boy, Scott." Allison keeps nodding.

Stiles brings the medicine to Scott's side, giving it to Isaac so he can start positioning it on the poultice. "You okay, buddy?"

Tears are falling down his best friend's face but he's nodding.

Stiles nods with him.

Isaac passes Lydia the poultice. She removes the bandage that's now covered in blood and places the fresh poultice over Scott's wound. "Okay, Scott. We've got to bandage you up, then we're done here."

Scott smiles. "You did good, Lydia."

"So did you." Lydia laughs, wiping his forehead.

Scott cranes his head to Stiles. "Still want 'easy', buddy?"

Stiles shakes his head at his best friend, holding back a laugh.

Scott's insane, but he's right.

Stiles doesn't think he wants easy, anymore.

\- - - 

It takes a good half hour for Stiles' brain to process everything that's happened.

During that time, everyone piled back out once they knew it was safe and were doing exactly the same as Stiles - sitting.

Sitting, staring at the sky, the sky where they grew.

And now they're here and space seems different at another point of view.

Stiles is very tired. He aches, his head hurts, but for some extremely strange reason, he feels content.

"Hey." A voice brings him out of his reverie.

He cranes his head up to see Lydia standing there. "Hey."

"Mind if I join?"

"The ground is all yours." Stiles smiles.

She sits down quietly, leaning back against the rock that Stiles is using.

There's silence for a minute until Stiles sits up. "Lydia, I cannot thank you enough."

"You don't have to." She shakes her head.

He only now notices how much of Scott's blood she has on her. "That was insane what you did back there."

She laughs. "You're not wrong."

"I mean it. None of us could have - none of us would have known to _do_ all that." Stiles exhales. "I'm...I'm glad we have you down here. We need you."

Lydia ducks her head, hiding a smile. "You know, when we landed and I took in the company that we have, I really did think we weren't going to last a day. I mean, I was almost right."

Stiles snorts.

"But I was wrong. I take that back. I judged too quickly."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I think everyone has something to bring to the table, in our own individual way." Lydia looks up to the evening sky.

"I'm glad Scott's alive, you know, for personal reasons...but boy am I glad he's here."

Lydia shakes her head in shock. "That boy..."

"Yeah. I know."

"And you."

Stiles steals a glance at Lydia. "Me?"

"It's not just Scott that has courage."

Stiles laughs. "I'm not brave."

"Okay, Stiles." She ignores him, taking a look around at the quiet teenagers. "We have...a _lot_ to do here."

Stiles nods. "It can wait until tomorrow. Now, we must drink."

Lydia watches him reveal the bottle of whiskey Isaac found. She laughs. "He's going to kill you."

"Worth it." He brings the bottle to his lips and takes a long gulp.

The foul taste must be evident on his face because Lydia chuckles with a frown. "That bad, huh?"

"Disgusting. I love it." He hands her the bottle.

"From what I've read, it's tradition to toast before a drink." Lydia reminds him.

"Ah, yes. What are we toasting to?"

Lydia thinks long and hard. Her eyes light up and a smile rests on her lips. "To peer pressure."

Stiles laughs, loudly. Lydia laughs, too.

And for a moment, Stiles is at awe. The warmth that radiates off of her as she laughs, the sound of it.

He decides in that moment, he enjoys making her laugh.

He hopes he continues to do that in the future.

"To peer pressure."


End file.
